The lives of others

All we know lies on the surface, walking in front of our eyes. That we see and measure and judge, and so often we do it wrong. The face value is deceiving; beyond that, all we see is the deep dark that each of us carry within. And what lies in the dark usually remains in the dark, unseen, unheard of. We might have glimpses of its shadow against the darkness, but we cannot begin to comprehend the shape, and then we chose not to see it. It's hard, and we don't like it when it's hard. We prefer the simple solutions, the obvious ideas. So we pick up what lies within our arms' reach, and leave the rest untouched, untroubled, forgotten. We chose not to see it; and deep down, we're fully aware of that choice. It's always so much easier to ignore than to understand.